Cooling unit



Jan. Z5,v 1944. B. s. V\l'\ l.l| l l/ `Mes f v n "2,340,164

.QCOOLINQ UNIT i l Filed my 2o, 1942i e sheets-Sheet 1 .V n A V L l 1 I/ l INVENTOR I Y BY# jyufieZZ J/I/Z'Zz'enff ATTORNE Ys.

B. S. WILLIAMS COOLING UN1T.

Filed Ju'ly 20, .1942

Jan. 25, 1944.

Jan. 25, 1944. B. s. WILLIAMS 2,340,164

COOLING UNIT n Filed July 2o, 1942 sheets-sheet 3 INVENTOR ,Bur/e ZZ 5,//1/ZZZZ'4W5.

Jan.2'5,1944, B,V s WILLIAMS .L 2,340,164

COOLING UNIT Filed .July` 2o, 1942 6 sheets-sheet 4 A 'I'TORNE Y6'.

Jan. 25, 1944. B, s wlLLlAMs 2,340,164

. COOLING UNIT Filed July 20, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VENTOR A TTORNE YS.

Jan. 25, 1944. B. s. WILLIAMS 2,340,164

COOLING UNIT Filed July 20, 1942 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 l INVENTOR ,Bu/'Je ZZS M/z'Z/d/f/S MLM/ Z/ will ATTORNEYS.

7 7 Y B ......L Illll -IsllI Frffalllillllli--i'llfr /fff5 Patented Jan. 25, 1944 2,340,164 COOLING UNrr Burdell S. Williams, Dayton. Ohio, assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application July 20, 1942. Serial No. 451,569 i claim. (ol. ca -129) My present invention relates to the arts of air conditioning and refrigeration.

The object of my present invention is to provide a portable completely operative unit for cooling and/or dehumidiiying air in the enclosure to which the unit may be applied. The invention comprises a panel member adapted to form a detachable section of a wall of the enclosure to which the unit is to be applied, and a, completely assembled refrigeration system mounted on said panel, preferably in combination with means to circulate air over the evaporator surfaces of they refrigeration system rather than to depend upon natural draft circulation. The completely assembled refrigeration system comprises condensing equipment mounted onthe side of the panel adapted to form a portion of the exterior surface oi the enclosure to which the -unit is applied and evaporating and air handling equipment mounted on the opposite side of the panel which is adapted to form a portion of the interior surface of the enclosure, said condensing equipment beingthus readily accessible for service when the panel is assembled with a wall of the enclosure and said evaporating and air handling equipment being exposed to the interior of the enclosure when the panel is assembled with a wall of the enclosure. The overall dimensions of the evaporating and air handling equipment are lesser than the overall dimensions of the panel so that the unit may be readily associated with or disassociated from an enclosure and another -unit substituted therefor in order that servicing of a damaged unit may be accomplished without interruption of the refrlgeration or cooling of the interiorof the enclosure.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide portable refrigeration or air conditioning equipment which may be placed in operation-at remote points, particularly in regions where mechanics and artisans are not available. Thus the present invention may be flown into inaccessible gold mining camps in jungles and immediately placed in operation by connecting the unit to power generating equipment. Other possible uses might include the air conditioning of advanced base military hospitals, advanced base iood storage depots, temporary encampments, the transportation of perishable commodities on ships not primarily designed for cold storage, and many other similar purposes.

A further object in providing the present invention isv to provide a unit which may be quickly replaced while damaged or broken portions of the unit are being repaired, either in the field or at the factory. Thus the present invention eliminates the necessity for maintenance of a repair crew and large stocks of replacement parts at advanced bases.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention may be more fully appreciated from a study of the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein several modifications of the present invention are disclosed.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view ofa preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus disclosed in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the opposite side of the apparatus disclosed in Fig. 1, and showing some details of the internal arrangement of the apparatus; Y y

Fig. 4 is a front view of the apparatus taken from the outside oi' the enclosure, with the cover of the condensing compartment removed in order to show details of the refrigeration system;

Fig. 5 is a view in'perspective of a modiiled form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a. view in perspective of the opposite side of the apparatus disclosed in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is-a view in perspective of the apparatus ofFig. 5 as it might be crated for shipment;

Fig. 8 is a schematic horizontal section through an enclosure such as a knock-down Imeat cooler with a unit manufactured in accordance with the present invention mounted in one side of the enclosure;

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the unit at the back of the enclosure;

Fig. 12 is a front view of the condensing com-` partment of a further modication ofthe present invention;

Fig. 13 is a partial plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 12; and

Fig. 14 is a side elevation of the apparatus disclosed in Fig. 12.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, there is disclosed a unit comprising a panel l0 preferably formed by connecting vertical timbers I3 and I( densing compartment and an evaporating compartment 26 in which are housed the appropriate portions of the refrigerating and air handling equipment so that when the panel is mounted in the enclosure wall and power connected to the motors of the unit refrigeration may be immediately accomplished, as distinguished from the prior practice of assembling the various portions of the apparatus by means of pipes, dehydrating the apparatus. charging the apparatus with refrigerant and oil, wiring and adjusting the various controls, and in general providing skilled supervision.

The condensing compartment comprises any means for compressing and cooling a refrigerant. A suitable form of equipment is illustrated, it being readily apparent that other forms of apparatus for accomplishing the function may be substituted therefor. In the. disclosure a compressor 30 having a motor hermetically sealed therein is suspended from brackets'll and 32 attached to the frame of a suitable housing in which the compressor is enclosed.` Refrigerant gas compressed by the compressing mechanism is discharged into an oil separator 33 from which oil separated from the refrigerant gas is returned to the compressor through tube 34. 'I'he gas then passes through a discharge pipe 35 leading to the various tubes of a finned coil condenser 3l mounted horizontally across the top of the casing. The refrigerant is cooled and liquefied in the condenser and collected in an accumulator J1 from which' a tube 38 leads to a liquid receiver 38 mounted in the bottom of the condensing unit casing. Liquid may be drawn olf from the liquid receiver through a tube 40 connected to a pipe 4i passing through the panel Ill into the evaporating compartment 26. Suitable control means such as solenoid valve 42, thermal expansion valve 43, and distributor 44 may be provided .to properly regulate the passage of refrigerant through. the various tubes of a finned evaporator coil 45 located in the lower portion of the evaporating compartment, The expanded refrigerant vapor which has been warmed by the absorption of heat passing over the coil 4 5 is collected in the manifold 46 and returned to the compressor through a suction pipe 41 passing throughthe panel I0.

When the unit is in operation a forced circulation of air is preferably created in the evaporating compartment by means' of a blower wheel 50 driven by a motor 5| connected Ithereto through pulleys 52 and 53 and a belt 54, the blower wheel being enclosed in an involute housing' having its open mouth 56 extending upwardly through the top of the casing of the evaporator compartment.' Air may be drawn into the compartment through an opening 5l in a side wall of the casing of the evaporator compartment located below the coil 45, to which a return duct may lead if desired, and the air may be discharged directly into the enclosure or may be discharged into a duct or defiecting vane assembly, depending upon the distrlbution desired.

lil

The cooling of the refrigerant in the condenser coil 36 may be accomplished in any of the usual manners, that illustrate comprising a pair of air propellers 60. driven by motors 6|, the motors being mounted upon brackets 62 and the propeller blades being mounted adjacent openings through the side wall of the casing of the condensing compartment so that air is forced around the compressor and through the interstices of the condenser coil. The condensing compartment is preferably closed by means of a removable front panel having locking handles 63 thereon through which access to the compressor may be had. Preferably gauges such as suction pressure gauge 64, oil pressure gauge 65, and discharge pressure gauge 66, are mounted in front of the condenser coil so as to be at a convenient height, and are connected by tubing to the respective portions of the compressor so that the operation of the compressor may be determined without removing the front panel.

Preferably the walls of the evaporating compartment casing and the condensing compartment casing adjacent the panel l0 arefastened thereto as by means of bolts l0 extending through the panel so as to provide a rigid structure. Also, the bottoms of the compartments and the bottom of the panel may be fastened to angle bar rails 1| having protruding ends provided with holes 'l2 by means of which the unit may be attached to a hoisting sling or attached to a foundation 0f wood or concrete.

The modification disclosed in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 comprises a panel 80 composed of a central double-walled, insulated wall 8| having flanges 82 at itsA edges, the flanges being provided with holes 83 by means of which the panel may be bolted to other wall sections to form an enclosure. A condensing machinery compartment 85 is mounted on one side of the panel and an evaporating machinery compartment 86 is mounted on the opposite side of the panel, the refrigerant being led from one compartment to the other through pipes Bl and 88 passing through the panel wall portion 8|. The panel and the ma e chinery compartments are preferably permanentfrom the air ly attached to a foundation 9b provided with skids 9| for facilitating movement of the unit. Since the panel in this case is so much larger than the evaporating compartment an external motor 92 may be provided to drive blower wheels 93 (one shown) through an external belt 94 and pulleys 95 connected to a shaft 96 extending` through the compartment and to which the blowers are fastened. Air may be drawn into the evaporating compartment through the entrance Sl and discharged through the outlet openings 98, which in this case extend horizontally forward. Fig. 'l discloses how the unit may be enclosed in a crate |00 comprising a top portion ||l| which may be bolted to the flanges 82 at the top of panelv and vertical boards |02 which may be fastened to the top portion |0| and the base and skids 9|. It is, of course, Obvious that the other modifications may be similarly crated for shipment to the point of use or reshipment to a servicing center.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show how the units of the type disclosed may be placed in. a side Wall or rear wall of a `single enclosure or in various portions of a. multiple room enclosure. In these schematic views the evaporating portion of the unit is indicated by the numeral |05 and the condensing portion, which is exteriorly located and available for minor service problems, is in-' The modification disclosed in Figs. 12, 13 and I4 comprises a panel portion ||0 adapted to be suitably attached to wall portions and ||2 of an enclosure with which the unit is to be associated, an evaporating compartment ||3 mounted at a height above the bottom of the unit, and a condensing compartment Il! mounted on the opposite side of the panel. This unit comprises a central compressor-containing portion having a removable door 5 provided with a knob IIE, a lower tool compartment H1 provided with a. hinged door ||8, and an upper blower motor-containing compartment H8. Air is adapted to be drawn through the condenser coil |20 by means of propellers |2| attached to motors |22 invcompartment ||9 and dischargv ing outwardly through a hinged hood |23, the hood forming in effect a continuation of the top cover |24. The hood |23 is provided with a series of holes |25 through which an adjusting pin |26 may be passed to regulate the position oi the hood so as to control the amount of air flowing over the condenser and to-pe'rmit closing of the blower compartment when not in' use. The air is drawn into thel compressor compartment through a series of louvers |21 in the side Walls ofthe compressor compartment. The whole assembly is preferably mounted on an angle iron skid frame |28 provided with hoisting rings |29.

The 'evaporating compartment comprises a coil |30 over which air is drawn by blower wheel |3| discharging into a plenum chamber |32 adapted to deflect the discharge horizontally forward. The air maybe drawn into the coil through a lower collecting chamber |33.

Suitable adiuncts not herein fully illustrated may be provided; as, Ifor example, defrosting sprayers |34 (Fig. 14) may be provided to particularly defrost the evaporator coil, and the l same may be connected to a source of water through a tube |35 extending through the mounting panel as shown in Fig. 6.

It is also to be appreciated that other types of refrigerating systems may be substituted for the mechanical system illustrated, many such systems being known to those skilled in the art.

It should be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications in arrangement and detail may be provided within the teachings of my invention. All such modications as come within the scope of the following claim is considered a part of my invention.

Iclaim:

A portable self-contained refrigerating apparatus adapted to be assembled in and through an aperture formed in a Wall of an enclosure to be cooled, comprising a rectilinear panel having front and back walls spaced by heat insulating material, a base under saidy wall and extending at right angles thereto from both the front and back walls to Iprovide an inverted T framework, an air cooling member positioned on the front wall of the panel Wholly within the marginal confines thereof and above said base, said cooling member including a substantially rectilinear housing extending over the ,adjacent portion offy said base, ,said housing being formed with an upper section, a. blower mounted in said upper section, an evaporating coil mounted in the housing below the blower,l duct means formed in the housing to admit air below the coil. for discharge at the upper section of the blower, a second housing positioned on the back wall of the panel and above its adjacent base, arefrigerant compressor and condenser mounted on the second housing, air flow inducing means mounted on said second housing, and piping interconnecting the evaporator, compressor and condenser through said panel to establish a refrigerating circuit therebetween.

BURDEIL S. W'JILIAMS. 

